As demand for artificial intelligence (AI) server memory increases, prices of standard DRAM and NAND flash rose together in July. As memory makers concentrate production capacity on high value-added server products and advanced processes, supply of PC DRAM and legacy NAND has declined.
On the 3rd, according to DRAMeXchange, operated by market research firm TrendForce, the average fixed transaction price in July for DDR4 8-gigabit (Gb) standard PC DRAM was $24. That was up 14.29% from $21 in the previous month and the highest price since the survey began in June 2016.
This product's price rose from $11.5 in January this year to $13 in March, $16 in April, $20 in May, $21 in June, and $24 in July. Compared with the start of the year, it increased by about 109%.
For standard NAND flash used in memory cards and USB storage devices, the average fixed transaction price in July for 128Gb multi-level cell (MLC) was $30.05. That was up 4.26% from $28.82 in the previous month, surpassing $30 for the first time. Compared with the January price of $9.46 this year, it increased by about 218%.
TrendForce projected that PC DRAM supply will decrease as server products absorb production capacity. Although notebook demand is weakening due to rising finished goods prices, suppliers are said to be maintaining an upper hand in price negotiations.
In the NAND market, as production capacity shifts to more profitable products such as high-layer three-dimensional (3D) NAND and corporations solid-state drives (SSD), shortages of legacy-process products continue. For single-level cell (SLC) NAND used in network equipment, automobiles, and smart meters, prices remained strong due to inventory shortages, but MLC saw slower gains as prolonged price increases raised customers' expense burdens.
Memory price trends are expected to diverge by product. TrendForce predicted that DRAM shortages will continue into 2027 on demand for AI servers and high-bandwidth memory (HBM). In contrast, it saw a possibility that NAND supply conditions will gradually ease from the second half of 2027 as new production capacity comes online.